Everything You Ever Wanted
by gorillabaseball
Summary: All she ever wanted was to stay by his side. It seemed as if he wanted just the opposite. A cure for loneliness found in a piece of fabric. RivaMika with a hint of EreMika.
1. Chapter 1

"You're pitiful, Ackerman." The stout man muttered from above her. His hands had caught her wrists, effectively pinning her beneath him.

The girl glared icily into his eyes, her bad mood souring even more. It had no effect on the Lance Corporal, however, as he was very well accustomed to her bitter attitude towards himself. Although he couldn't help but notice in the dark depths of her eyes, that the fire he was used to was a little bit diminished.

The corporal could sense something was wrong before their sparring session had even begun. Although Ackerman wasn't usually one to express her emotions quite easily, he often saw the challenging glint in her eyes whenever they fought one-on-one. Now, she just looked tired. _Pitiful._

With an irritated sigh he released his grip on her,standing up again.

"Look if you're just going to waste my time-" Levi started, only to be interrupted.

"I can do it." She replied with renewed determination. The man turned his gaze towards her, studying her expression in what had to be the most humble face he had ever seen on the girl. Her face looked as expressionless as ever, but he could tell by the way her eyes couldn't meet his that she was feeling sheepish and embarrassed by her poor performance.

"Clearly you can't." Levi said, watching as Mikasa opened her mouth to retort,"You're distracted." He said the statement bluntly, silencing the girl. Levi already knew what the distraction was,of course. Jaeger was always the root of the problem with this girl. It was even more obvious since the red scarf that was ever present on her person had disappeared. It irritated him to no end. Why would she be wasting her time on a dumbass like Jaeger was a mystery he couldn't comprehend. It was a waste of talent on her part.

"Come back when you're damn ready to fight, Ackerman." The Lance Corporal ordered before leaving the training grounds.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Mikasa entered the canteen. It was dinnertime and the spar between her and heichou had worn her out. She searched for an available seat, finding one besides Sasha.

Her brief relief vanished when she saw that Eren was also occupying the table, along with Armin, Jean, and Connie. She strode to the table, taking the seat besides Sasha, hoping that Eren had cooled down from their fight.

She was greeted by Armin who waved and said a hello to her. Sasha squealed at the sight of her, bread in her mouth. Everyone had asked her about her day, interested on how training with their heichou had been.

The only one who seemed to ignore her presence was Eren. She gave a sideways glance to notice that he was glaring at his food. The weight on her chest increased.

"It was ok." Was all she answered to the incessant questions about how training had gone.

"You're amazing Mikasa! To be able to train with humanity's strongest soldier!" Connie cried loudly. Mikasa forced a smile at his compliment, still bothered about the problems between her adoptive brother and herself.

They began chattering about a different subject, she didn't know what as she was too focused on figuring a way on how to catch Eren's attention. Her gaze was directed towards him, staring blatantly at his head. He paid no mind to her, talking to their friends as if she was invisible.

Finally she couldn't take it anymore, saying his name. "Eren."

His green orbs flicked towards hers, his mouth forming a line on his face. It was obvious that he didn't want to talk to her.

"Can we talk?" She asked quietly.

His eyes glinted in annoyance and anger before replying loudly,"Talk."

Although she was glad that he had complied with her request, she was thinking of a more private area to talk; she wasn't eager to drag her friends into their argument.

"Can we talk outside?" She pleaded, ready to do anything just as long as he would stop being mad at her.

"No." He replied quickly. "Whatever you have to say, say it now."

Mikasa let out a breath before she let out what she wanted to say. "Sorry." Eren's glare softened slightly at her whisper.

"I, I just don't want you to get hurt." Her voice still quiet, looking at her folded hands.

"See that's your problem," The boy bit out."I'm not a kid, Mikasa." He said angrily. "Stop worrying about me, I can handle myself."

"I worry about you because I care about you. I don't want you to die, Eren." She said honestly. He was her family, the only family she had left. She couldn't lose him.

"I don't need you to care about me!" The brown haired boy cried suddenly, making everyone at their table stare at them in shock.

"Eren-" Mikasa warned, worried about the stares they were receiving from his loud voice.

"I get it, ok." He said bitterly. "You're stronger than I am, but I don't need you to babysit me!"

Mikasa's frustration broke out at his outburst, her usually calm demeanor broken. "I do it because I care. You're my family, Eren. I promised your mom I would take care of you. I-"

"I don't need you to!" He said coldly. "Can't you see?! You're only getting in the way."

Mikasa's heart lurched at his words. The pain in her chest increasing intensely. He hated her. Eren hated her. She wasn't sure what to do and she was fighting a losing battle to keep a straight face.

"Eren!" She heard Armin's voice cry. Everyone was staring at them. She had never felt so exposed in her life.

Everyone was shocked at his words, Armin looking worriedly between them.

Mikasa covered her face with her bangs, standing up from the table, trying to ignore the whispers and looks from everyone around her. She needed air.

XXXXXXXXXXX

By the time she had returned, it was already nearing nighttime. She had left, taking her 3DMG and going for a ride, not knowing where she was going, only that she needed to think.

Now she had thought, but her heart still hurt. It was a pain that she hadn't felt in a long time.

Maybe Eren was right. Maybe she was only pushing him away. Still, it hurt. She loved him and she cared about him but those feelings only angered Eren. She wondered if there was anything she could do that wouldn't make him upset with her.

Her only dream was to stay together, to stay by his side. But it seemed, with each passing day, that he had the opposite in mind.

She walked on the training grounds, feeling the crisp air hit the back of her nape. Her hand reached to pull up her scarf only to realize that it was gone.

Pulling up her jacket instead, she took a step forward only to hear a sound to the left of her. Swiftly, she reached for her sword, scanning for the possible threat. Her grip on the handle of her sword loosened when she realized that it was only the Lance Corporal. He was leaning against the wall besides the door, arms crossed, scowl ever-present. It looked as if he had been waiting for her.

She glared with him, not in the mood to deal with the man.

"You're past curfew, Ackerman." She said nothing, only angering Levi further.

"Whatever happened with Jaeger doesn't give you the excuse to endanger your fellow soldiers." The remark hit Mikasa, catching her attention. How did he know it was about Eren? She scowled, he probably saw what happened at dinner then. The pain in her chest came back just thinking about the scene.

Quickly, she tried to think of an excuse as to why she came back so late.

"I was just practicing with my 3DMG." Levi scoffed at her lame excuse, but nevertheless allowed her to step towards the door.

She turned the knob, only to be stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She looked behind her to face Levi.

"Whatever it is, don't let it affect your performance on my squad." His rebuke was enough to send her over the edge. There was something about him that irritated her so. It seemed as though all the negative feelings she held back inside exploded on him.

"I can handle it." She gritted through her teeth.

"Look, I know Jaeger can be a dumbass but it shouldn't-"

She didn't know whether to be mad or not at him calling Eren a dumbass, all she could think to say was,"It's not about Eren!"

He gave her an incredulous look, a ghost of a smirk forming on his lips. "Don't shit with me, Ackerman. Everything's about Eren to you."

She blushed at his reply, from embarrasment or anger or maybe both. Was she that transparent?

"Seriously, I don't know what it is that's got you so attached to him. He's got his head so far up in his ass, I'm surprised he's still alive."

"He's my family." Mikasa said, the anger in her voice fading into a tone of misery that shocked him."I have to protect him."

The man in front of her felt some sort of irritation course through him at her words. "You can't protect him." Mikasa shot up at his remark, livid that he would say that.

"Why not?! It's none of you-"

"No matter what you do, you can't stop him." Levi cut her off, his voice turning serious."It seems as though Jaeger has a death wish and he's willing to risk it all just to get what he wants." Levi said tactlessly, watching as her expression returned back to it's cold facade.

Mikasa couldn't say anything. He was right. As much as she hated to admit it, Levi was right. She couldn't stop Eren. And if she did, it would only make him hate her. For the second time that day, she felt frustration filling her to the brim.

It was only when she felt something wet fall onto the plane of her bare collar that she realized that she was crying, shaking as a finger caught a tear.

This served to embarrass her further as she met Levi's gaze to realize he was staring at her. She had forgotten what it was like to cry, bottling those emotions up a long time ago. Why of all times did she have to cry right now? In front of him of all people.

Levi was at a loss at what to do. She was crying. Ackerman was crying. And he was partially at fault. He hated it when women cried, he never knew what to do.

"Ackerman." He called, stepping forward but only making her step backwards, hiding her face with her hair.

This behavior angered him, why did she hate him so much?! He was only trying to help. He stepped forwards, causing her to retreat until her back hit the wall. Her head was down, her eyes refusing to meet his. It bothered him to see her like this.

Tears were still streaming down her face but he wondered if she knew this since her face remained as impassive as ever .Levi began to wonder if that was the face she put on when she was tired, and scared, or just didn't want to deal with things.

"I'm sorry." Levi breathed out, feeling genuinely sorry for the girl that she had the misfortune of loving such a stupid boy and was helpless in trying to protect him. Her brown eyes flickered to his, the sadness in them surprising him.

Mikasa didn't respond, afraid that her voice was too weak to say anything at all.

They stood there for a while. Silence between them as tears fell from her eyes. Levi wasn't sure if he should leave or if he should stay. He wasn't even sure why he was trying to comfort her in the first place. Like he could even comfort her. He was about as comforting as a 15 meter class titan. Would she even wanna be comforted by him? He was pretty sure she hated his guts.

"I don't want to be alone." Her voice was so quiet, so weak. If they weren't alone and he wasn't as trained as he was, he would've missed it. But he heard her and the statement coming from Mikasa's lips made his eyes widen.

He sighed, feeling something strange in his chest as he watched the broken girl in front of him.

Then he did something that he would probably regret later. Reaching forwards and grabbing the girl by the shoulders he all but shoved Mikasa into his arms.

The action surprised Mikasa, she struggled in his arms, trying to break free. He was too strong even for her though and so she gave up, her arms hanging to her sides as she let her head fall onto his shoulder.

Levi was cringing inside. He didn't know what made him do it. But all of a sudden, he had the crying girl in his arms, in what seemed to be a every awkward embrace. He hated physical contact and now here he was, hugging Ackerman, who he was sure was feeling as uncomfortable as he was feeling.

And then he felt his cravat moistening, as her face was buried on it. Levi could feel his cheeks warm ridiculously. A frown formed on his face as he thought of the germs now present on his person.

She was still crying? Damnit what would it take for her to stop?! He was already hugging her for shit's sake. Taking his right hand, he reached out, looking at it strangely before stiffly patting Mikasa on the small of her back.

It caused her to stop but he wasn't sure if it was from comfort or from pain as he felt her tense on him when he clapped his hands on her. Maybe he was doing it too hard? He softened the gesture. It seemed to work as she loosened up once more, even having the courage to bury her face into the crook of his neck.

Levi's eyes widened as he felt himself blush. Ackerman was usually hostile towards him, like a hissing cat. And now here she was, more like a purring kitten in his arms.

When he no longer felt the moisture seep into his skin, he softly pushed her back to examine her face. She looked tired and half-asleep, and he was surprised that she wasn't yelling profanities at him for doing what he did.

Her face looked like she had given up and it pained him. "Ackerman." She looked dazedly at him.

"I'll protect Eren." He said not believing that the words had come out from his mouth. Her brown orbs widened at his words her mouth opening in protest, but Levi interrupted before she could start. "If ever you can't protect him, then I will."

She stared at him, dumbstruck, before tears started to fill her eyes once more. "Damnit, Ackerman." He cursed as he watched her cry once more.

"I said I'd help you, ok?! So just stop crying." His words were rushed, in an exasperated tone as he combed his fingers through his hair.

Mikasa wasn't sure what to say. Watching as Levi was palming his face with her still half-hugging him. But he was trying to help her. Trying to help her protect Eren. And so all she could think of to say was a heart felt reply.

"Thank you." She said softly, shaking with more emotion than Levi had ever seen from her. He patted her shoulder awkwardly.

_You'll never be alone. I'll make sure of that. _

His nose wrinkled when he noticed the moisture around his neck. Reaching towards his cravat, he unwrapped it, holding it in his hand before looking at Mikasa. Her face was back to its usual cold expression but he saw the warmness in her eyes and that was enough to satisfy him.

"Here." He said, shoving the fabric in her chest. Her eyes looked up questioningly at him.

"You lost the filthy red thing around your neck during our last mission, right?" He explained, nudging his cravat to her again, expecting her take it.

She raised a brow at his gesture, annoying him further. "Just take it, Ackerman." He said. "It's cold. And it's filled with your germs now anyways."

Mikasa glared at him for the last part but reached out to take it anyways. Levi,sleepy, and frustrated at how long it was taking her to take it as if it wasn't as good as her stupid red scarf, wrapped it around her neck himself.

He tied it properly,cheeks tinging pink when his fingers brushed against her skin. Geez, this girl was troublesome.

He stepped back when he was finished, giving her one last look before turning for the door.

"We're back to training tomorrow." Was all he said before entering, leaving Mikasa to ponder about what had just happened between them.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, Mikasa started the day off with breakfast at the canteen. She felt better. She wasn't sure if it was because she cried, reassurance that there was someone else to look out for Eren, or if it was the warmth around her neck.

"Mikasa." Her gaze shot to the familiar voice, the events of yesterday coming back.

Eren was looking at her guiltily, it looked as if he had been looking for her the way he was panting from breath.

"I tried to find you last night after you left." He said face scrunching up. Eren regretted the words he had said to her last night. It was his impulsive and brash nature that made him say things without thinking. "I-I'm sorry. What I said about you getting in the way-"

"It's fine." She said calmly. She didn't want to think about it really. Eren looked shocked to see her feel so calm about it.

"I thought about it," She said thinking back to the events of last night."I'll stop."

She figured she would stop worrying about him so much now that she was assured that Rivaille would look out for him as well. Of course, it wouldn't keep her from jumping in to protect him as well.

At her words, Eren's eyes widened, face contorting in confusion before resuming to a guilty expression. "I care about you Mikasa. I'm sorry, I just get upset because I feel useless. I don't want to be saved all the time, I want to do the saving."

She warmed at his words, feeling sorry that she had made him feel this way.

"Oh, I, here." He said, holding out something in his hands. Her eyes widened as she saw what it was. It was a red scarf, although it wasn't the same one she had seen being devoured by a titan's mouth, the gesture alone made her feel thankful.

"I saw one in the market, and I noticed yours was missing."

She reached out her hand before stopping it. Her hand instinctively came up to stroke the fabric around her neck.

Eren's eyes widened when he saw the ruffled fabric in place of the scarf he had given her years ago. He felt something strange stir within him when he saw the familiar cravat around her neck and the tinge of pink on her cheeks.

She said nothing about it, taking the scarf in his hands yet choosing to keep it in her lap rather than wear it. Eren refused to acknowledge that that bothered him.

When a familiar voice called out to her and her eyes immediately shifted to it, he saw her whole demeanor change.

"Ackerman, training!" The impatient voice of their heichou called, to which Mikasa stood up in response. "I have to go Eren." She said, the look of reluctance on her face that was usually made when she had to leave his side, gone.


	2. Chapter 2

The moment that Mikasa had managed to sneak her foot behind his and flip him onto his back, with that same irritating stoic expression on her face, Rivaille knew that he had nothing more to worry about.

Although Levi ultimately won the match, the girl had done quite a number on him. Several hits and kicks and getting him on his back. That was a feat. As much as it pained him to admit it, she was almost as good as he was. Within time,she might even reach his level.

He examined her, she was panting. chest heaving, temples damp from sweat. Hm. Levi smirked to himself. He loved that their spar had caused her to break a sweat. Watching her train along with the other scouts, where she barely had to exert any effort to surpass them, had caused him to see her potential. Now he was pushing her to her limits, something he was sure that she had never done before because she never had to.

She could be as good as he was, but he was going to make her work for it.

"We're done for the day." He told her, polishing his sword before putting it back in it's sheath.

Mikasa only glared at him from where she was sitting on the dirt of the training grounds. He was a slave driver and she was pretty sure that the sadistic man enjoyed seeing her close to collapsing. She had never been as tired as she was right now. To make it worse, the man wasn't even breaking a sweat.

It annoyed her that he could still remain so calm after their five hour spar. Yet, at the same time, she was glad that he trained her so brutally. If she could win against him then she would become more capable in protecting Eren. Also she couldn't wait for the day when she would shove Rivaille-Heichou's face in the dirt. The mental image alone was enough to drive her to improve her skills.

Levi noticed her silence. A pensive look was on her face but he could see a predatory gleam in her eyes. Perturbing.

Mikasa's mind returned back to the present situation, staring at the eyes of the Lance Corporal, who was also staring at her with squinted eyes and a scowl that hinted that he knew what she was thinking.

"Heichou." He raised his brow at the title. Although it was hard to tell with her, he was skilled in interpreting the small details that gave away her emotions. There was that same expressionless face but he could hear a hint of uncertainty in it. "If you aren't busy tomorrow, I was wondering if we could train."

"Hm." Was all Levi grunted as a response. Well there was certainly nothing holding him back from doing some extra training with her. While they were staying here they might as well be in top shape. Studying her face,surprised she would ask to spend more time training with him, he conceded. "As long as you continue doing what you did today, then I'll allow it."

"Mm." She nodded in response, the predatory gleam still in her eyes but this type he could see a ghost of a smirk forming on her face which caught him off guard since _Ackerman didn't smile_. And it made something in his stomach drop. Most likely dread. _What is she up to?_

He could see the determination in her eyes and sighed. He felt as though this sudden motivation in training with him was due to the fact that she wanted as many chances as she could have to kick him square in the face.

She stood up from the ground, grabbing her weapons in the process. Mikasa put her jacket on, sweeping her hair to the side. Finally, she picked up a cream-colored cloth, shaking the dust off it first before wrapping it around her neck only to have her hands stop in the process.

Levi looked up to notice her sudden stop, the ruffled fabric hanging loosely around her neck catching his eyes.

Mikasa's eyes flickered toward his and a sudden look of embarrassment appeared on her face before she schooled it back into nonchalance. Levi was slightly amused at the unfamiliar look that had flashed on her face. He never thought it was possible that she could make such a face.

"Heichou." She said, walking up to him with the cravat in her hand. Mikasa was silently berating herself for holding onto the stupid thing. Her hands were outstretched to give it back to Levi.

He took one look at it before picking up the cravat. Levi looked at her,expressionless scowl still intact, before wrapping his hands around the cloth and wrapping it around her head, inadvertently pulling her closer to him. Mikasa glowered at him though the corporal ignored it, focusing instead on tying the fabric neatly around her neck.

Both of them stayed silent, neither willing to bring up the subject of last night. Although both of them were thinking about it. Levi cringed at the memory of him actually hugging her person and promising to protect the Jaeger brat. He wasn't thinking clearly last night.

Mikasa was disgusted with herself for allowing the man to invade her personal space. And yet she was allowing him to do so again.

She was tempted to tell Rivaille that she didn't want anything of his to be on her body but the words couldn't escape when she was blanketed with the warmth around her neck.

So instead she stayed silent, watching tentatively as the man in front of her ceased his movements, his fingers stroking the cloth. Something akin to unease settled within her at the action, her shoulders tensing.

"It suits you." The words slipped out of his mouth unexpectedly, his eyes focused on the fabric. Mikasa looked at Levi with furrowed brows, flustered at how close they were. She found herself confused, asking herself why he was doing these things and why she was letting him.

"Levi!" The loud cry was heard making Mikasa and Levi start and whip their heads to the source. They were greeted by the sight of Hanji and Eren.

The sight of the two made both soldiers conscious of the weird position they must have been in, within close proximity with each other, Levi's hand on her person. Both immediately took a step backwards.

"Hanji."

"Eren."

They said at the same time.

"What is it?" His voice was back to all of its formalities, Levi turned his attention towards Hanji, noticing that she was holding something in her hands. She had a mischievous grin and a look of excitement in her face.

Levi glanced to Eren's form who was strangely studying him as well. The boy was dressed in a strange suit that he had never seen before. Levi raised his brow knowingly at his colleague.

This could only mean one thing.

"I might have a solution to our problem." The bespectacled woman sang smugly, hands on her hips,clipboard in her hand. Levi said nothing, merely raising a brow to let her continue. "I think that if we could experiment with Eren-"

"Experiment?!" Mikasa's voice shoutedindignantly at the mention of Eren and experimentation together. It shocked Hanji to see any sudden emotion on Mikasa's face.

"Uh, yes. Since we haven't figured out completely how it is that Annie can harden her skin, maybe by testing different chemicals on-"

"No." The girl sternly said. The shock and disappointment on Hanji's face and the sigh that left Eren's lips prompted Levi to turn his attention to the girl besides him.

"Mikasa, I'll be fine." Eren said in response, crossing his arms, irritation showing on his face. Her resolve wasn't moved and Mikasa opened her mouth in protest.

"This could be dangerous, chemicals-"

"He'll be fine." Levi interrupted her, making the girl glare at him. "Shitty Glasses knows what she's doing."

Mikasa didn't say anything, looking from Levi to Hanji and Eren. The scowl on her face remained, still not trusting the woman to deal with Eren.

"She won't do anything other than test out Jaeger's capabilites." The statement was meant to reassure her, but the tone in his voice was that of an order and the gaze he aimed towards Hanji showed that he was telling the woman not to do anything strange.

Hanji only laughed nervously, not entirely agreeing with the condition but nodding anyways.

Mikasa took another glance at Levi, who was throwing an expression which promised her that nothing bad would happen to her friend. She couldn't believe she was agreeing to this but she didn't feel like starting another argument.

"Fine." She agreed grudgingly.

Levi smirked inwardly at the small victory, patting the girl's shoulder to which she only narrowed her eyes at him.

"Really?" Eren had an expression of shock on his face at the turnout. Mikasa only forced a weak smile. It was tearing her apart that he would be subject to whatever Hanji had in mind. She knew the woman was eccentric.

"Ok!" Hanji said pumping her fist in the air. "We need the training ground, if you guys don't mind."

Levi and Mikasa moved out of their way as the woman pulled her test subject into the area. Mikasa rushed to enter through the doorway. She didn't think she could stay to watch.

A frown was on her face as she heard an explosion.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Eren?!" Armin's voice asked as a very tired Eren Jaeger entered the their room. He didn't bother to even say hello to the blonde haired boy as he quickly trudged to his bed, collapsing on the soft mattress. It hurt when he moved his legs as there were bruises everywhere. Black hair fell into his eyes, he was pretty sure his hair had been singed.

"What happened?" Armin asked, examining Eren's form.

"Hanji-san." Was all he answered, his thoughts focused on their experimentation session the hour before. She had made him try at least twenty different solutions, each one failing to produce any good results.

His body had become sore and he actually wished that Mikasa hadn't changed her mind about it.

Now that he thought about it, the old Mikasa never would have agreed. The old Mikasa would have fought tooth and nail to get Hanji's hand off of him. and the old Mikasa certainly wouldn't have agreed just because_ Levi-heichou_ had told her so.

The thought was bothering him. Was there something going on between them?

Eren quickly dismissed the thought. No, she hated him. She had told him so before.

He was going crazy. This was a good thing, after all. She was being lenient, she was giving him the space that a 15-year old boy needed. She wasn't treating him as a child as much anymore. That was good, he guessed.

_It was great._ He thought as he buried his face in his pillow.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time Eren had woken up, it was about dinnertime. He arrived just in time, walking over to the same table that he and his friends usually sat at. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mikasa sitting besides Armin. He walked over, sitting across form them.

"Eren." Mikasa said with a small smile.

He watched as everyone at their table greeted him as he sat down. Jean was glaring at him. Probably over what had happened the day before.

Looking down at his food, he picked up a piece of his bread before facing his two best friends.

"How was the experimentation?" He heard her ask worriedly. "Are you hurt?"

Eren was suddenly glad that his clothes covered his bruises."No, I'm ok."

She looked at him suspiciously but dropped the subject anyways.

Chewing his food, he glanced at the happy sleam in her eyes that suddenly appeared on her face.

"How was training?" The question came out out of his mouth. Eren had been aching to ask. Even though it emasculated him in every way possible that his adoptive sister was training under Levi-Heichou rather than him, he was still very interested.

"It was good." He was surprised that she would describe it as good. Most of the time a scowl would just appear on her face and that would answer that.

"So he's been going easier on you?" Armin piped in from besides her.

"No." She said thoughtfully, before a strange expression formed on her face, making Eren and Armin drop their food in their laps. This is turn, caused the others to wonder what had caused such a reaction.

Even though Eren had seen her smile before, it was such a rare occurrence that he had forgotten what it looked like. This was different from the many shy and relieved smiles that he was used to receiving from her, this smile showed her white teeth, it made her look so carefree and childish, not at all the titan-slaying prodigy that she was. Now seeing the gleam in her eyes and the soft upturn of her pink lips, he now realized why Jean was so in love with her. She was actually attractive?

The idea alone made him choke on the chewed bits of his food. Attractive? Mikasa? He had never thought of it that way. She was just an annoying sister of his that wouldn't stop nagging him. Thinking of her that way. It was too weird. It was wrong.

He placed his attention elsewhere, looking around the room, trying to avoid looking at Mikasa. Then he looked around and notice that Jean had his jaw dropped and Connie, Armin, and Sasha were just as red faced as he was.

"I'm just glad I'm training with Levi-heichou." She said so sweetly and happily and so unlike her that everyone nearly keeled over.

"M-Mikasa, don't tell me that you like Levi-heichou now." Jean asked desperately with a face that screamed that if she said yes he would go crazy. Mikasa dropped her own food in her plate at the question, staring at Jean in response. And then chuckled to herself, probably making half the room fall in love with her.

"That shorty?" A condescending tone in her voice as her face darkened."No. I just can't wait until I become strong enough to be able to smack that stupid expression off his face." She said as her voice returned to its monotonous tone. Shivers came over everyone as they stared at her, frightened by how she could say the words so easily.

Jean breathed a sigh of relief at her answer. He had enough difficulty with scrawny moronic Eren, adding Levi, humanity's strongest soldier, actually worthy competition, to the mix would just be cruel.

"But, hey," Connie began, staring at Mikasa's neck."Isn't that the thing that Levi-heichou wraps around his neck?"

Everyone's eyes turned to what Connie had pointed out. Jean's face darkened once more, as he noticed it as well.

Mikasa raised her right hand to stroke it gingerly, forgetting that she still had it on. Her thoughts wandered back to what had happened last night and what had happened at the training ground today. She had tried to give it back, but she only ended up confused as Levi said nothing of it and wrapped it around her neck as if he was claiming her as territory.

The last thought made blood rush up to her cheeks.

Mikasa didn't know how to explain herself, she was confused enough about it. She was pretty sure that she disliked him and he disliked her, but what was going on now. She wasn't sure how to define their relationship anymore. Did she care for him? Her brows furrowed, no, _she had too many people to care for as is._

"Is there something going on between you two?!" Jean's voice nearly shouting as he asked the question. Mikasa thought it over in her mind. Something going on between them?There wasn't. They were merely in the same squad together, there was nothing. They were comrades at best.

"Yeah," Sasha joined the conversation, food full of steamed potato, gulping it down before asking her next question."Why would he give it to you?"

Her friends kept staring at her, waiting for an answer from her. An answer that she didn't have.

"It was cold." One of the most worst excuses came out of her mouth and she could feel everyone's eyes on her as she said it.

Nonetheless, noone bothered to ask any further.

She frowned as she ghosted her fingertips on the cravat. _It was cold?_ But she couldn't say she was entirely lying. The fabric gave her a warmth that she was too scared to explain.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Mikasa brought a reluctant hand to the wooden door of her squad leader. The girl didn't know what had brought her here. It was past curfew and she would probably get punished for bothering the man, but she couldn't find sleep. Knocking on the door, she only had to knock once before the familiar voice told her to come in.

"Ackerman." The voice said before even turning his head to face her. It unnerved her somewhat that he could tell it was her so easily.

Levi was sitting on the side of his bed, back turned to her, looking at something in his hands. She wondered what it was. She got her answer when the man placed a picture frame on his bedside table. Five people, dressed in green capes, all smiles and grins except for one who, at least, wasn't carrying a scowl in that picture.

A wave of sadness passed over her, remembering what had happened only a month before. She couldn't help but feel guilty for it.

"It's past curfew." He told her. "You really like defying orders, don't you?" Levi said turning to the girl in question, his head resting on his hand which was propped on his leg. There was a small smirk on his face, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Mikasa didn't smile, didn't come up with a challenging remark, merely studied his face.

The smirk on Levi's face disappeared, returning to that familiar bored expression. As if he didn't give a crap, but he did. She knew he did. They were strangely similar in that way.

"What are you doing here?" He asked curtly, he looked tired.

Mikasa opened her mouth to say something, but closed it when she realized that she didn't have an answer to that question.

Levi snorted at her response. "Come to bother me again for no particular reason?"

Mikasa looked at him intently, raising her brow at this. "I bother you?"

"Don't be coy with me, brat." He replied. "It gives you pleasure to see me in pain."

She smirked at him, it was somewhat true. But hearing the hint of dejection in voice didn't make her as eager as before.

"You're not asleep." Was all she said to him.

"Neither are you." He said tiredly.

Through the moonlight, he could see her walking towards him, holding something in her hand. When light skimmed over her figure, he could make out her expression. It wasn't the usual glare that he was used to. It was still calm, but it looked nonthreatening.

In her hands was his cravat, the very one he had given her last night. He sighed, looking to it then back to her face.

Propping his face in his hands again he said in an exasperated tone."I don't want it back."

"It's yours." Mikasa said, urging him to take it. "I feel...strange , keeping it." The statement made Levi look up at her.

"Is it not worthy enough to put around your neck?" He asked, irritation in his voice. "Keep it. It looks better than that red scarf ever did."

At this, Mikasa glared at him., throwing the cloth at him. Levi's eyes turned to her in a mixture of surprise and agitation.

"You little-" His mouth stopped moving when he felt the mattress dip besides him. The girl actually had the nerve to sit next to him on the bed, making him raise his brow at her.

"Thank you." She didn't even look him in the eye as she said it, but she was being sincere. Mikasa wanted to thank him, for that promise, for making the burden she felt on her shoulders a little lighter, for making her feel his warmth.

Levi wasn't sure what to say to her.

She was thanking him. For what?

"Why?" He asked curiously, bemused by her shift in attitude towards him.

Mikasa felt herself become shy. Was he actually going to make her explain why? Wasn't it enough that she had the decency to show her gratitude even though it was killing her pride to do so? Then again, she supposed she had a lot to thank him for.

"That time, saving me from Annie." She said, remembering that she never had thanked him properly for it. At the time, she remembered that she had even gotten angry with him, telling him it was his fault for not protecting Eren adequately. A wave of guilt passed through her.

He grunted in response, remembering the injured leg he sustained after the incident. Bu then, he thought that thanking him for it was unnecessary. He was merely doing his job.

"For helping Eren." She continued. Mikasa had mulled it over in her mind. Levi didn't have to help Eren. He didn't have to protect him or save him. Just like Jean had told her before, not everyone was willing to give up their life for one person whom they didn't even particularly care for. But Levi did, and he did it while sacrificing what she was sure were some of the most important people in his life. "Losing your comrades, to save mine." Levi flinched at this, remembering the horrific scene he had encountered in the forest.

"Thank you for this." She said clutching his cravat in her hand. He knew what he meant when she said it, his promise to her the night before.

He didn't say anything, letting silence fill the room.

"I'm sorry." Mikasa said to him though her eyes were pointed towards the frame that stood on his bedside table. Levi knew what she was referring to and a flicker of emotion went through his eyes before passing.

"Don't be." He had worked in this field for a long time. He knew what this kind of work entailed. Anything could happen. They could die at any given moment. Losing people, it happened every day. But sadly, these truths still didn't cushion him from the pain.

"That's why, I can't afford you to die on me, _Mikasa_." He said seriously but almost endearingly. It was the first time she had ever heard him say her name. It was strange hearing it from his lips but not entirely unwelcome.

She was still a new recruit on his squad, one which he was still rebuilding. It didn't help that they didn't get along very well. Mikasa wondered if he felt lonely.

Mikasa didn't reply. She couldn't promise him anything. Nothing, not like he had to her. She couldn't promise that she wouldn't do something reckless, couldn't promise she wouldn't die. Because promises like that were lies.

Noone knew what could happen and the sad fact of it was, at the end of the day, they were all just humans, fighting something, fighting a war that was much bigger than them.

Her hand inched closer on the bed, until her pinky touched his hand. The contact made Levi look to her questioningly, but all he could see as an answer was the blush on her cheeks as she inched her hand closer to his.

Her gaze was directed to the ground, not saying a word of explanation. When her face turned to look at him, it showed an expression that made her look as if she was constipated, telling him that she was doing this grudgingly.

It was then that he realized, she was trying to comfort him. In her own way. Levi couldn't help but snort at her attempt, making Mikasa more flustered than before.

But the uncontrollable smirk that made its way onto his face forced him to comply to her actions, allowing her to awkwardly place her hand on top of his until he couldn't help it anymore and opened her right hand for her, interlocking his fingers with her own.

Mikasa's face turned red, eyes widening as she looked into his eyes in surprise. Levi smirked at her, watching in amusement as the girl's stoic facade faded into embarrassment. It made him want to do such ridiculous things, like this and the night before, just to see how she would react.

It was funny. It almost didn't make sense. Why she was here, why she was comforting him, or trying to, at least. But it was working.

Levi felt comfortable. Calm. Untroubled as he sat, holding the hand of a girl who probably wished nothing more than to kick him in the face.

But Mikasa held back that urge for now, and the heat she was radiating urged Levi to come closer, his tired eyes feeling heavier.

That night, Lance Corporal Rivaille fell asleep dreamlessly for the first time in weeks, head resting on Mikasa Ackerman's shoulder.


End file.
